A Doctor's Appointments

[Doc]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Doc: Doc texts the Spawn. He had something he wanted to give her. It wasn't so much that he wanted to curry favor with her. No. It was more, like it was what he needed to do to be a responsible sire. He would never be what one would ever call a 'great' or even 'good' sire. But he did care, and he would do his best to help them be their best. *text* I would like to meet you if you have the time.

Dominique: Dominique was in the middle of a street. Dodging one car while shifting her gadgets recovered from the building she just left without notice. Her cell vibrates and it was going to have to wait. Who stops in the middle of the street and checks their cell? Hopping up to the sidewalk outside one of the several malls that popped up in the city she finally reaches for her black iPhone and brushes her finger over it. She gave up security codes and certainly wasn't going to use the fingerprint option to open it. Who knows where that kind of information was sent. She had enough trouble keeping her *** from being found out as it was. She imagined this must be how those in the witness protection program must feel. It becomes routine. Make yourself unseen, unheard and forgotten. She should have been as careful and consistent back when she was moving stolen cars and working in the ring back home. The message showed up on the screen and she wondered what it could be about. The thumb attached to HOPE tap danced quickly across the letters to shoot back a reply.-Where?- It was sent out and she was on her way back to the place she parked her car.

Doc:He wasn’t expecting an immediate response. In fact, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she ignored him completely; meaning he would have to text her several times before she did finally respond. They were in the midst of a truce.. or perhaps a ‘ceasefire’ agreement was more apt. But with any ceasefire there was the typical power play. Make this one wait to prove they were in control. Which is why he was surprised to get a response within a relatively short period of time. There were no snide or derisive comments, just a single word response: ‘where’. Truth be told he had figured it would be several days before they would actually meet, so the question caught him off guard. He rallied however, and replied *text* Wickbridge Station.

Doc: Wickbridge Station had been the site of several of their previous meetings, before he had turned her. All of them acrimonious. However, he tended to see the location with a fondness. She had been tenacious and stubborn, unpredictable and irreverent, traits he found he liked in her. At the time when he felt the brunt of her blade, it wasn’t so pleasant, but now as he looked back, he did so with a type of pride that one might call parental.

And now she had surprised him again with her unpredictable but direct nature. Taking the bull by the horns so to speak, to force the meeting now. He made his way immediately to the station. He had to smirk, she had ramped up the timeline by days. Most people would call it a power play. But Doc didn’t see this as a power play, though if it were done by others he might, but with Minx, he took it to mean she was being being forthright and head on. She had never been the type to hide or skulk around. She was ‘in your face’ with a vengeance and ‘no holds were barred’. He saw the promise in her. She could and hopefully would turn out to be a leading member of vampire society. But first he had to get them both to the point where they comfortable with each other. And that was easier said than done. Because as much as he wanted them to have an easy relationship, he couldn’t help but be wary of her. Not because she had attacked him since her turning, but rather, it was her close ties to the human paladins. He had a plan to help with that, however, it was not going according to how he wanted it to play out. Carmen was key to his plan. But she was just as stubborn and tenacious as her sister. Carmen didn’t ‘need’ Doc. And as much as Doc tried to insinuate himself into her life, it wasn’t enough to make her dependent on him like he had wanted. Not necessarily a bad thing for a young lady in her situation. Just showed she wasn’t going to be easy to control either. However, if he could get Carmen on his side, Minx just might fall in line and sever her ties with the paladins.

He had the rumble of the Mustang, before he saw it. He grinned ruefully. He had liked that car. But he had given it back. Then she was there speaking to him. He thought perhaps they could sit and talk, but that wasn’t Minx style. He pulled out the jewelers box that held the relic, and offered it to her. “For you. It has some special properties that might help you.”

Dominique: Mosquitoes. It was her distraction as his hands moved. Her colorful hand made a sudden move beneath the streetlights glow that was blanketing the city beneath their stiff imposing silver fixtures. With sound of the slap of an open palm to skin she felt relief. No, the pests no longer did any damage or imposed any risk to her general health. It was the fact they were the lowest form and living example of what she still had issues with. She was not so willing to have things taken from her. Her blood was not offered. Now the pest was a red mark against her leg. It took nothing from her but whoever it visited before was now pressed into a less than perfect circle on her skin.

Dominique: Her eyes drifted to the object he held as it came to view. As his words finished she raised a curious brow. Her index finger scratched at the outside of her cheek before finally reaching for it slowly. "What is this?" She flipped the box over looking at it from all angles quickly. Properties to help her? So far she had been sustaining herself with what she had. "Such as?" Her fingers began the work of opening the box. A part of her was prepared for anything to be inside.

Doc: He shrugged slightly. How did you describe a relic really? And Did she even know about them? There was so much about her that he didn’t know. Which just went to show him, he was a ******* lousy sire. A sire should be the one teaching and inculcating values and belief systems. But he wasn’t nor had he been. “It is a relic. It is imbued with powers to accentuate skills you already have. There are different relics that have been found. Some allow you to carry more than you would normally. Another allows you to evade attacks a bit better than you normally would. But this one is one that helps you when you are being stealthy..especially in a breaking and entering type of scenario. I recalled how you were quite adept at breaking and entering. I thought it would help you. Anything that you can get to give you an edge, you should take advantage it of. When I find them, I try to share them with the spawns, such as yourself.”

Dominique: She listened to the information floating between he and her as she pulled the box open. Her eyes looked over it slowly, assessing it as the visual of an ornate necklace rested in the lined jewelry box in her hands. Another relic. She had found one once. Immortal coil or something like that. She found it was beneficial as she had more luck than before with it. She finally passed it on to Leona. She brushed a finger over the surface of the necklace. Where was Leona? her top lip curled thoughtfully over her bottom one and pulled it inward and nibbled at the soft flesh it offered. this would aid in breaking an entering. It was an odd concept to her. Items enchanted with powers took the place of basic skill and tool. Next you would not need a weapon to strike. that was already taking place with those telepaths who could do so at their leisure without so much as stepping out of the bubble bath. He was trying. She thought about this over and over and the lid went on the box to close it. She was a great thief. It was her source of pride. It should not be but she had the ability to get her hands on anything no matter where it was. The ability, the ease of doing such seemed as tedious as driving blindfolded in a foreign city and expected to get to a destination without issue.

[Dominique]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Dominique: Her gifts as she had called them, when becoming a paladin all but seemed to dissolve when she woke in that abandoned warehouse with a gaping hole in her neck and a hunger that was like acid upon her consciousness. Her heart stopped but not what it stood for. Somethings you could never take from a human being. She was bleeding black now when wounded. It was hell learning all over again to create the traps that once were made in her sleep deprived state without flaw. He had felt them and likely appreciate them if for nothing else the damage they delivered. She had spent time getting strong again, learning to fight all over again and finally was as quick as she was before. Stealing was a challenge she had to face yet again. In Harper rock you were never given anything. You had to work for it and be ready to take it if need be. this brought her eyes to focus on his. "I will pay for it. How much?" She had never taken loans and was not about to be in debt to anyone. ever. It had value and she was only comfortable in matching it.

Doc: “No. It’s my duty. Payment will be made by you excelling and not getting caught.” He knew how hard it was being a thief. He was a ******* awful thief. And he was a shadow. Something that most shadows felt were second nature, he bungled through. He had given Cat a similar relic, and now it was Minx turn. He wouldn’t take payment. It was something he should have given her before now. But things had been .. strained. And even now though ‘strained’ was not how he would describe it, it still wasn’t a cordial relationship. And that was what he was aiming for. Courtesy and cordialness between the two of them. Ultimately he would like to see Cat and Minx get along. But Cat’s attitude of late had turned dark. It seemed as though if he made gains with one spawn, he lost with another. ******* females. He would never understand them.

Doc: He shoved his hands into his pockets, and as though to silent reiterate that he would not take payment. He attempted to change the subject in hopes to keep her from demanding he take payment for the relic. “Word is that the hunters are attacking more and more.. have you had any issues?” He knew she had been romantically involved with a paladina few weeks back. But he hadn’t heard anything lately. He wasn’t about to tell her to dump him. Doc knew that the one thing you didn’t do was a female what she ‘should’ do. Because as soon as the words were out of your mouth.. she was doing the opposite. And he couldn’t very well tell her he condoned her ******* a paladin, because she would know he was lying. As well as confirming any suspicions she may have had that he was keeping tabs on her. THings would be so much more simple if females would react logically to things. But they don’t. They react… no they over-react emotionally running either ice cold, giving a poor guy frostbite.. and raging hot scorching someone for something so simple as telling how they look in their clothes.. He just couldn’t figure females out.

Dominique: She felt the dance of her dark orbs between his as she looked up at the one who was significantly taller than her. Taller and even stronger, perhaps. However, she had been working over time and was back to that routine he had interrupted of sleepless days and nights preparing for all that was to come. She had seen enough to know all of the past was only a precursor to what had yet to come. She reached to her side and pulled out the cold weapon fixed at her hip. The raven haired female was ready as the weight of the custom gun rested in her skilled hand. the colors of her fingers were fast as she brought it to full view. "I will not accept this.." She lifted the jewelry box and wiggled it. "Unless you take this." She brought it forward without stepping. "She is named 'Ultimi Riti'. You could say you have just been given last rites." She smiled with the blink of a human eye then it was gone for effect. "You take it or take the gift back. I insist."

Doc: Doc stared at her, his face not reflecting anything save a calm regard. She was a proud little thing. He silently accepted the weapon and felt its balance. It had a nice feel, good weight distribution. He was giving the weapon a once over, as his thoughts went back to her. Pride. That was a particular burden he had to overcome himself. His pride had had gotten him into more than one scrape during his life, and even more deadly ones in his new life. Not to mention that ******* binding. He had been warned. But would he listen? No he had too much ******* pride. He couldn’t admit that he might have made a mistake.. and now he was stuck for ******* eternity with someone who wanted him dead or chopped into tiny little pieces. Either way, he saw in Minx that same pride. He wanted to tell her, pride was great in moderation, but don’t let it make you fight battles you cannot win. He wanted to tell her, there was no shame in making a tactical retreat. But as he lifted his gaze from the weapon to her face, he knew today was not that day to tell her anything. “Thank you.” He wanted to say more. He wanted to say he was impressed with her handiwork. To compliment her on craftsmanship. But he was afraid she wouldn’t believe him. He would rather not say it, than be thought disingenuous.

Dominique: Her dark head nodded. The black strands that drifted around her face in the night air were darker than her own blood. The color reminded her what she had become. So much had become dark but not what was important. The weapon left her hand leaving it empty. She pulled it back as he took the silence between them and looked over what she had recently crafted. Her fingers curled comfortably around the jewelry box with a hold of possession. Two words came between them and now she felt a reasonable claim to what was inside as she slipped it into her jacket pocket. They had an understanding. "Likewise." She eyed the gun in his hands. It was hardly a fair trade but it was better than bouncing around with a grin of entitlement and saying "Gee thanks!" and giving nothing in exchange. Everything had a price. A value. She would remember that when she saw the jewelry box and necklace now hidden safely.

Doc: Had Doc been aware of her thought, he would have grinned ruefully. His thoughts were were similar to hers, except he thought the relic was found wanting, when set beside a custom made firearm. He knew the time it took to craft something like this. Her time, effort, blood, sweat and tears. Where as for the relic he just handed over cash. Cold hard impersonal cash. Yes, when compared the relic was the lesser of the two. His pride just got kicked in the gut again. And by that tiny little dynamo, that was bound and determined to best him, any chance she could. He slowly grinned at her. They had not drawn weapons or traded threats, but she had met him on the even ground, and still came out on top. “Thanks for meeting me, Minx. Be safe.”

Dominique: She nodded at his words as she stepped backward. She was safe and would continue to be. Whatever came at her she would be ready for because that is all that she could do. Giving up was never an option then....nor was it now. As she slid into her car without incident she wondered if he liked the weapon or was impressed. As she turned the key in the ignition and allowed the vintage beast beneath her to roar once again to life her thoughts were fixed. When the cool gun was in his cold hand and he gripped it tight would he give a second thought to where it came from? a fraction of a second about who designed it to existence? When he pulled the trigger to deliver some fate would he think twice at the one he gave her? this she would continue to wonder about as the low rumble of her in the car was paused briefly for an intersection then the squeal of the tires when she was permitted to let the engine growl to be let loose beneath the starry night.